Act+I+pages+49+-+59

||  What questions do you have? || What answers can you offer? || Summarize the scene. || Padua. Before HORTENSIO'S house
 * =Text = ||  What does the highlighted text mean?
 * SCENE II.

Enter PETRUCHIO and his man GRUMIO

PETRUCHIO. Verona, for a while I take my leave, To see my friends in Padua; but of all My best beloved and approved friend, Hortensio; and I trow this is his house. Here, sirrah Grumio, knock, I say. GRUMIO. Knock, sir! Whom should I knock? Is there any man has rebus'd your worship? PETRUCHIO. Villain, I say, knock me here soundly. GRUMIO. Knock you here, sir? Why, sir, what am I, sir, that I should knock you here, sir? PETRUCHIO. Villain, I say, knock me at this gate, And rap me well, or I'll knock your knave's pate. GRUMIO. My master is grown quarrelsome. I should knock you first, And then I know after who comes by the worst. PETRUCHIO. Will it not be? Faith, sirrah, an you'll not knock I'll ring it; I'll try how you can sol-fa, and sing it. [He wrings him by the ears] GRUMIO. Help, masters, help! My master is mad. PETRUCHIO. Now knock when I bid you, sirrah villain!

Enter HORTENSIO

HORTENSIO. How now! what's the matter? My old friend Grumio and my good friend Petruchio! How do you all at Verona? PETRUCHIO. Signior Hortensio, come you to part the fray? 'Con tutto il cuore ben trovato' may I say. HORTENSIO. Alla nostra casa ben venuto, Molto honorato signor mio Petruchio. Rise, Grumio, rise; we will compound this quarrel. GRUMIO. Nay, 'tis no matter, sir, what he 'leges in Latin. If this be not a lawful cause for me to leave his service- look you, sir: he bid me knock him and rap him soundly, sir. Well, was it fit for a servant to use his master so; being, perhaps, for aught I see, two and thirty, a pip out? Whom would to God I had well knock'd at first, Then had not Grumio come by the worst. PETRUCHIO. A senseless villain! Good Hortensio, I bade the rascal knock upon your gate, And could not get him for my heart to do it. GRUMIO. Knock at the gate? O heavens! Spake you not these words plain: 'Sirrah knock me here, rap me here, knock me well, and knock me soundly'? And come you now with 'knocking at the gate'? PETRUCHIO. Sirrah, be gone, or talk not, I advise you. HORTENSIO. Petruchio, patience; I am Grumio's pledge; Why, this's a heavy chance 'twixt him and you, Your ancient, trusty, pleasant servant Grumio. And tell me now, sweet friend, what happy gale Blows you to Padua here from old Verona? PETRUCHIO. Such wind as scatters young men through the world To seek their fortunes farther than at home, Where small experience grows. But in a few, Signior Hortensio, thus it stands with me: Antonio, my father, is deceas'd, And I have thrust myself into this maze, Haply to wive and thrive as best I may; Crowns in my purse I have, and goods at home, And so am come abroad to see the world. HORTENSIO. Petruchio, shall I then come roundly to thee And wish thee to a shrewd ill-favour'd wife? Thou'dst thank me but a little for my counsel, And yet I'll promise thee she shall be rich, And very rich; but th'art too much my friend, And I'll not wish thee to her. PETRUCHIO. Signior Hortensio, 'twixt such friends as we Few words suffice; and therefore, if thou know One rich enough to be Petruchio's wife, As wealth is burden of my wooing dance, Be she as foul as was Florentius' love, As old as Sibyl, and as curst and shrewd As Socrates' Xanthippe or a worse- She moves me not, or not removes, at least, Affection's edge in me, were she as rough As are the swelling Adriatic seas. I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily, then happily in Padua. GRUMIO. Nay, look you, sir, he tells you flatly what his mind is. Why, give him gold enough and marry him to a puppet or an aglet-baby, or an old trot with ne'er a tooth in her head, though she has as many diseases as two and fifty horses. Why, nothing comes amiss, so money comes withal. HORTENSIO. Petruchio, since we are stepp'd thus far in, I will continue that I broach'd in jest. I can, Petruchio, help thee to a wife With wealth enough, and young and beauteous; Brought up as best becomes a gentlewoman; Her only fault, and that is faults enough, Is- that she is intolerable curst, And shrewd and froward so beyond all measure That, were my state far worser than it is, I would not wed her for a mine of gold. PETRUCHIO. Hortensio, peace! thou know'st not gold's effect. Tell me her father's name, and 'tis enough; For I will board her though she chide as loud As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack. HORTENSIO. Her father is Baptista Minola, An affable and courteous gentleman; Her name is Katherina Minola, Renown'd in Padua for her scolding tongue. PETRUCHIO. I know her father, though I know not her; And he knew my deceased father well. I will not sleep, Hortensio, till I see her; And therefore let me be thus bold with you To give you over at this first encounter, Unless you will accompany me thither. GRUMIO. I pray you, sir, let him go while the humour lasts. O' my word, and she knew him as well as I do, she would think scolding would do little good upon him. She may perhaps call him half a score knaves or so. Why, that's nothing; and he begin once, he'll rail in his rope-tricks. I'll tell you what, sir: an she stand him but a little, he will throw a figure in her face, and so disfigure her with it that she shall have no more eyes to see withal than a cat. You know him not, sir. HORTENSIO. Tarry, Petruchio, I must go with thee, For in Baptista's keep my treasure is. He hath the jewel of my life in hold, His youngest daughter, beautiful Bianca; And her withholds from me, and other more, Suitors to her and rivals in my love; Supposing it a thing impossible- For those defects I have before rehears'd- That ever Katherina will be woo'd. Therefore this order hath Baptista ta'en, That none shall have access unto Bianca Till Katherine the curst have got a husband. GRUMIO. Katherine the curst! A title for a maid of all titles the worst. HORTENSIO. Now shall my friend Petruchio do me grace, And offer me disguis'd in sober robes To old Baptista as a schoolmaster Well seen in music, to instruct Bianca; That so I may by this device at least Have leave and leisure to make love to her, And unsuspected court her by herself.

Enter GREMIO with LUCENTIO disguised as CAMBIO

GRUMIO. Here's no knavery! See, to beguile the old folks, how the young folks lay their heads together! Master, master, look about you. Who goes there, ha? HORTENSIO. Peace, Grumio! It is the rival of my love. Petruchio, stand by awhile. GRUMIO. A proper stripling, and an amorous! [They stand aside] GREMIO. O, very well; I have perus'd the note. Hark you, sir; I'll have them very fairly bound- All books of love, see that at any hand; And see you read no other lectures to her. You understand me- over and beside Signior Baptista's liberality, I'll mend it with a largess. Take your paper too, And let me have them very well perfum'd; For she is sweeter than perfume itself To whom they go to. What will you read to her? LUCENTIO. Whate'er I read to her, I'll plead for you As for my patron, stand you so assur'd, As firmly as yourself were still in place; Yea, and perhaps with more successful words Than you, unless you were a scholar, sir. GREMIO. O this learning, what a thing it is! GRUMIO. O this woodcock, what an ass it is! PETRUCHIO. Peace, sirrah! HORTENSIO. Grumio, mum! [Coming forward] God save you, Signior Gremio! || Petruchio wants to leave and see his friends in Padua. He talks about his best friend Hortensio and as he's talking he sees Hortensio's house. Petruchio is telling Grumio to knock on the door. Grumio doesn't understand and asks who he should hit and if he should hit him. Petruchio says that he'll ring and grumio should knock. Then Petruchio pulls Grumio's ears. So then Petruchio told Grumio that he better knock when he tells him to.

Young men are scattered through the world in search of fortune where only a few might be able to gain something. Petruchio's father is dead and he is pretty much lost without him. He just wants to get by with a wife. Hortensio then asks if he would take an ill-favored wife. Hortensio says that Petruchio wouldn't thank him at first but he would be very rich. Hortensio then says that they are too good of friends and he could never do that to him.

Hortensio says since you want a wife that badly, we might as well continue. He then says to Petruchio that he can help him to a wife that is rich, young and beautiful. She has only few problems and those problems were enough. She is intolerable, shrewish and perverse. Hortensio says if he were in a worse state he wouldn't marry her for a gold mine.

Hurry, I have to go with you. Baptista has my love, his youngest daughter Bianca. She is playing hard to get and making it seem impossible. He has practiced for these upcoming problems. Katherina will be courted and then when she has been wed Baptista would have no choice but to let Bianca go and marry Hortensio. But no one can get access to her till Katherina is married.

Grumio seems to be confused in this part of the story. Petruchio is telling hime to hit petruchio, but grumio is confused and doesnt understand. Although Antonio is dead Petruchio continues on with life and wants to see the world.He also wants to get marries. So hortensio tells petruchio about this shrewed woman named Katherina. Although she is a shrew petruchio wants her for her money. He doesnt really care about love. Although hortensio tell petruchio about her shrewed behavior he does not care. Petruchio says that it does not matter that she is so nasty. He can look beyond that just to see the wealth that she has.So hortensio says are you sure you wish to wed her? And Hortensio now knows that bianca can be wed too. || I have no questions

I still dont understand the part where Grumio hits somebody? Who is he going to hit and why? ||  ||   ||